36 weeks

**I'll add the stats after my appointment tomorrow!!

how far along?  36 weeks

how are you measuring? 38  weeks (Dr. said his head is low, but not super low.  My cervix is closed, but it is soft.  She couldn't tell how thinned I was because I wasn't dialated at all.)  

size of baby? According to Baby Center our baby is 18 1/2 inches long, about almost 6 pounds, and the weight of a crenshaw melon. Dr. thinks he's about 6 1/2 pounds right now. 

heartbeat?  140's/150's bpm (at our 36 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +35 lbs  

maternity clothes? Lovin' all my maternity clothes.

stretch marks? Still no stretch marks!!  Still lotioning up twice a day!! I wonder if my body can my body stretch 4 more weeks without leaving any marks??
sleep? I actually slept pretty good this week.  Bathroom breaks don't really bother me anymore as long as I can fall right back to sleep when I get back into bed.  

best moment this week? I got my maternity pictures back.  I shared some of them on Friday, but I'll be posting the rest of them later this week.  I can't wait to put some up around the house! 

movement? He moves all the time.  Literally.  He is such a squirmer.  I wonder if he'll be the same after he is born?

food cravings? Nothing really other than ice cold water. 

gender predictions? It's STILL a BOY!!!  Pearson Davis Link!!! 

what i miss:  Couponing.  I haven't had time to sit down and sort my coupons in about a month.  I went to CVS yesterday and bought some diapers with some Extra Bucks that were expiring and it really made me miss it.  I've been going to the grocery store without coupons and just buying the bare minimum of stuff.  I hope to do a little bit of stocking up the pantry before Pearson gets here so I've got to sit down this week and clip & sort my coupons. 

what i'm looking forward to: An easy week at school.  I am working a half day today and getting my maternity massage this afternoon, then taking off Wednesday & Thursday, and Friday is Field Day!!  

how are you feeling? I'm feeling like my belly is out of room.  I really don't see how it can stretch and grow for 4 more weeks.  I'm really starting to slow down and tire out with just my everyday activities.  My kids at school are absolutely wearing me out.  When I come home from school I literally can't keep my eyes open.  I've been taking afternoon cat naps almost everyday now.  After school I spend my afternoon/evening doing very little and mainly sitting on the couch.  

meal planning monday

Monday: Talapia with Shrimp Bayou Sauce, Rice, Rolls, & Zucchini

Tuesday: Nachos & Leftover Rice

Wednesday: Spinach Artichoke Stuff Chicken, Salad, & Rolls

Thursday: Chicken Fried Rice & Egg Rolls

Friday: Pizza

Saturday Breakfast: Pigs in a Blanket

Saturday Lunch: Fuzzy's Taco Shop

Saturday Dinner: Quick Pasta, Bake, Salad, & Veggies

Sunday Lunch: Fast Food

Sunday Dinner: Rangers Game

my little matey's nursery

Welcome to Pearson's nursery!!

Come on in....

 When I first started thinking about decorating a nursery I fell in love with this bedding.  When we found out it we were having a boy and went to buy the bedding we found out that it was out of stock and wouldn't be in until possibly late May early June.  Obviously, I couldn't wait until then so my Mom and decided to make it ourselves.  {Well, I didn't really make anything.  I just helped with the design process} Everything that is made out of fabric in the room my Mom made.  She is SO talented.   

 Pearson's letters are from Hobby Lobby and Matt just spray painted them black.  So cheap!!

 The bookshelf and baskets are from Ikea and all the decor is from Ross, Marshall's, or HomeGoods.

I got this little pirate as a gift.  It's a little stuff toy that teaches you how to tie, zip, button and velcro!! I ordered Pearson's little piggy bank off Etsy at this shop.  

 They discontinued the red changing pad cover that I registered for, so I ended up having to search for one online.  I got lucky and found one of the last ones on Amazon.  

 I actually designed and cut out all the pieces to this wall hanging.  My Mom just sewed it all together.  

 For his bedding, we used the bumper pad fills from Joann's.  I'm so pleased with how the different fabrics look together.  I think it turned out way cuter than the store bought bedding!!

 I'm not really sure what I'll be putting in this little toy bag, but I'm sure it will be nice to have a place to put night time routine stuff, i.e. pacis, lovies, blankies etc.

 My Mom made Pearson 3 different blankets, so if he decides for one of them to be his favorite blankets we've got 2 backups when one is in the wash!!

 This is the corner of his room that took me forever to decide what I wanted to do.  I really couldn't picture what I wanted until the glider arrived.  We got the glider and ottoman from Lonestar Baby, and I absolutely love it.  It is so comfortable.  I'm so glad we spent the extra money to buy a nice cushiony one rather than the typical ones at baby stores.  Night time feeding won't be so bad in this chair.  Matt really liked the ship wheels, so I just decide to add a little symmetry to the room and put on the other side of the window.  

{Notice Izzie in the picture.  She absolutely loves to hang out underneath that table.  

It's her little spot in Pearson's room.  } 

I originally saw this shelf at Pottery Barn, but I refused to pay $69 for a shelf.  I found a nautical nursery on Project Nursery that just happened to have a homemade version of this shelf.  She even told how she made it.  My parents had this shelf and bracket just sitting in the attic and we got the rope and brackets at Home Depot for $13.  My Dad just drilled holes in the corners of the bookshelf.  It was super easy to make.  The ropes don't actually hold the shelf up, it's totally supported with the bracket.  The ropes are just for show!  I absolutely love how it turned out!!

Again, all of the decor is Ross, Marshall's or HomeGoods.  My sister in law made the cute initials and the cute Pearson Pirate Bear was a part of the center piece at one of my showers.  For the picture frames, I plan on filling the outside two with newborn pictures and the inside one with something similar to this.  Again, I refuse to pay $25 so my other sister in law is going to make one for me after he is born!

I got this cute little light house (that actually lights up as a lamp) at Kirkland's.  I still need to fill all these frames.  I just haven't decided what pictures I want to put in them.

 I've got Pearson's cute little diaper bag all packed and ready to go.  My Mom has been making these diaper bags for 29 years.  I'm so excited to finally get to carry one!!  I'm sure this will just be the first of many precious diaper bags that I carry for Pearson.  If you are interested in buy one, you can check out my Mom's Etsy Shop.  She also makes super cute burp clothes, bibs,  and snack bags too. I'll have to post all the cute pirate things she made for me!! 

 And, last but not least, his closet full of sweet little clothes and all stocked up on diapers and wipes!!

So there you have it!!  I hope you enjoyed the little tour of Pearson's nursery. 

I know Pearson will probably never really care what his nursery looks like, but I sure did have fun putting it together.  I'm going to be spending alot of time in there over the next few years, so I'm glad I like the way it turned out.  I sometimes just go in his room and sit in his chair and look at it.

Just a few more weeks and I'll have my sweet baby boy in my arms and we can sit in the glider and look at it together!!

coming soon...

It's hard to believe that in exactly one month.....

{or less}

{hopefully not more}

we'll be meeting our sweet baby boy!!

**Photos by Rachel Ledbetter Photography

ahoy!! it's a boy!!

Last Sunday two of my friends from our ABF and a good friend from college gave me a shower.  It was SO much fun!!

  When Tammy first told me she wanted to give me a shower, she asked me what I thought about having it at my house.  At first, I thought it was kind of weird, but the idea grew on me and we decided to have it at my house.  I am so glad that we decided to do it at my house.  It was fun to have the decorations all set up in my house.  (Some are still hanging!!) It forced me to get Pearson's nursery all finished so I could show it off.  It made me give my house a good deep cleaning before Pearson gets here and I didn't have to transport my gifts anywhere. Tammy, Courtney, and Cinnamon totally outdid themselves with all their cute decorations, games and  pirate theme. 

When I saw the invitations I knew it was going to be a cute shower!!

When the guests first came in they saw the cute entry table set up.

There were 2 pictures of me and Matt as babies and a place for the guests to leave me and encouraging not or verse to put in the treasure chest!

They also had the cutest little bottles that looked like "message in a bottles" that were filled with candy and said "Thanks Matey!"

Tammy made a precious diaper wreath to hang in the living room for decoration.  I totally have it hanging on Pearson's door right now and plan on taking it to the hospital to hang on our room door when he's born!!

Below the mantle they  hung a sweet little Pearson banner.  I still have it hanging, and I'm not sure I'll take it down any time soon.  I just love it!!

The food for the shower was absolutely delcious and so cute because it was all blue and red. 

The cake was probably the cutest cake I have ever seen and not to mention SO good. 

Before the gift opening began, we played a few games.  We had to match celebrity babies with their Mommies or Daddies. 

It was a whole lot harder than I thought.  There were alot that I didn't know.  I got 7 right. 

Julie won the "pirates gold" (golden chocolate nuggets) for getting 10 correct!!

For the next game, I had to model my belly so the girls could guess how big around they thought I was by cutting a piece of yarn!!

Most everyone was pretty nice, but there were a few that took way to much yarn!!

Amy ended up being the closet and won the other cup of "pirates gold"!!

I was blessed with so many fun gifts for Pearson.  His nursery is seriously overflowing with gifts. 

I am so thankful for all my sweet friends that I get to "do life with".  We are extremely thankful for all the generous gifts that we received for Pearson.  I'm pretty sure Pearson won't be walking until he's two because all my friends will be holding and loving on him all the time.  He is going to be so loved!!

No rush ABF girls, but I can't wait for you girls to be Mommies with me!!

calling all mommies: newborn pictures

This week's topic is.....

NEWBORN PICTURES

I LOVE taking pictures.  If you have followed my blog for a while, then you know that I dabbled in photography for a while.  I did one newborn session, and it was the hardest session I ever did.  I swore I would never do one again.  I'm pretty sure I could play around a few days with Pearson and get some great shots of him, but he's only tiny once so I want a professional to take his newborn pictures.

So my question this week is......

When did you take your newborn pictures?

Had their umbilical cord fallen out yet?

Did you have any props or hats?

Where did you get them if you did?

If you live in the DFW area, who did you use, and were you pleased?

can you read kindergarten?

There are lots of things that I will not miss about teaching (i.e. paperwork, testing, bad behavior, annoying parents etc.), but trying to figure out what a sweet note from my students says will not be one of those things.  I always love trying to translate what they write!!

Can you read Kindergarten?  Do you know what this says??

One million brownie points will be awarded to whoever can translate this note correctly!!

surprise "daddy shower"

Matt texted me this afternoon telling me that some of the ladies that work for him gave him a surprise shower today!!  

He has a bi-weekly meeting with his employees and when he went to meet with them they had gifts, pizza and a cookie cake waiting for him.  They also had a "Daddy to Be" medal!! So cute huh?

Matt also texted me this picture.  I guess they didn't know that Matt went to Baylor and I went to A&M.  It's the thought that counts though, right?

 My favorite gifts were the sweet clothes that have Daddy sayings on them.  

I know Matt was excited to get some cute clothes for Pearson that say Daddy, because he's all decked out with Mommy clothes!!

The little outfit in the middle is soooooo tiny.  It's a newborn size.  I wonder if Pearson will be small enough to fit into it?  

It was so fun to see Matt come and share all the gifts with me.  I'm glad he got to experience all the fun that a baby shower brings!!  

35 weeks

how far along?  35 weeks

how are you measuring? ??  37 weeks

size of baby? According to Baby Center our baby is 18 inches long, about 5.25 pounds, and the weight of an average canteloupe 

heartbeat? 130's bpm (at our 34 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +33 lbs  I actually didn't gain this week.

maternity clothes? Maternity clothes all the way!!  Some of my pants are feeling a little snug though. 

stretch marks? Still no stretch marks!!  Still lotioning up twice a day!! 
sleep? When I can actually fall asleep between bathroom breaks I sleep pretty good.  I'm pretty consistently going to the bathroom 4 times a night.  Last night I couldn't go back to sleep at 4am.  I stayed in bed until 4:45, then I finally got up and started organizing Pearson's room.

best moment this week? I had a super fun shower hosted by some friend from my ABF and a good friend from college and I finished Pearson's nursery!!! 

movement? He is still moving all the time.  I keep thinking his movement is going to slow down because he's running out of room, but he just keeps on kicking and squirming.  He just does it a little harder now.  He's starting to hurt me when he moves around.  I feel like he's trying to escape and is going to bust out of my belly sometimes. 

food cravings? Ice Water still.  I have to have a huge glass every night when I go to bed.

gender predictions? It's STILL a BOY!!!  Pearson Davis Link!!! 

what i miss:  I really miss my energy.  School (and my kids) are really wearing me out these days.  I come home from school and I have a million things to do, but all I really want to do is rest on the couch or my glider.  I know that is what I need to do, but it's so hard to rest when I have so much to do in 5 weeks.    

what i'm looking forward to: School being out.  I am so over it! 13 more days of school. (technically 9 1/2 for me since I still have 3 1/2 days to take off).  I'll be taking off on Thursday this week, so I'm definitely looking forward to that!!

how are you feeling? I am feeling very pregnant these days.  I'm really starting to get uncomfortable.  I'm not miserable yet, but I'm definitely uncomfortable at times.  I still feel fine in the mornings, but after I work on packing stuff up during my morning conference period, I'm pooped for the rest of the day.  My feet start to hurt, my belly starts to feel heavy, I start to have Braxton Hicks contractions, and I start to waddle a little bit. Plus, I can't seem to get super comfortable at night when I sleep.  I'm also feeling a little stressed.  It's crazy to think that we are 35 days out (if we make it that long), and I'm going to be working 14 of those days.  I really wish I could just take off the rest of the year and get everything off my to-do list checked off.  And although I have most of my classroom packed up, it really stresses me out thinking about where we are going to put all my stuff.  Ahhh......so much to think about before he gets here......which is probably why I'm having trouble sleeping.

meal planning monday

Monday: King Ranch Casserole

Tuesday: BBQ Beef Loaded Baked Potatoes, Vegetable Medley & Rolls

Wedmesday: Leftover King Ranch Casserole

Thursday: Matt: Mavs Game Me: Dinner @ My Parents

Friday: Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits, & Green Beans

Saturday Breakfast: Bagels

Saturday Lunch: Brunch @ Tiffany's Shower

Saturday Dinner: Tacos, Rice & Beans

Sunday Lunch: Lunch w/ The Havards & Craddocks

Sunday Dinner: Leftovers

where did last week go?

Wow, this past week flew by.  I didn't have a spare second to sit down to blog. 

{Well, I did try to sit down and blog one night, but Blogger was down.} 

Here's a quick run down of my crazy week.....

Monday:  I drove all the way (30 minutes) to my Doctor's office after school to get a phone call as I was walking up that they needed to reschedule.  My stupid pregnancy hormones got the best of me and cried and cried,  but it was nothing a long nap when I got home couldn't cure.  

Tuesday:  I made a grocery store run and didn't even bring my coupon binder in.  Gasp!!   I also had Open House at School and thankfully came home to a crockpot cooked meal.

Wednesday: I took the day off!!  I went to my rescheduled Dr. appointment and got a good report, ran some errands then ate lunch with my parents.  My Dad came over in the late afternoon and helped me finish the nursery just in time for me to go to Bible Study. 

Thursday:  I totally overdid it at school packing up my stuff and sat on my butt all evening.

Friday:  I was in charge of the Volunteer Luncheon at my school and was on my feet WAY to long.  I came home and crashed until we rushed off to Matt's softball game.  After the win we headed to Sonic to hang out!!

Saturday:  Matt and I headed to the hospital to get our car seat properly installed.  Thank goodness we had someone help us do it, because who knew it could be so difficult.  We spent the rest of the day doing yard work and cleaning the house to get ready for the baby shower I had today.  

Whew!! Crazy week!!

Hopefully this week my blogging will be back to normal.  I'm looking forward to FINALLY sharing pictures of Pearson's nursery!! 

Stay tuned......